Ideas on how to build your own robot lawn mower? To mow your garden unassisted and automatically?

Start with a rechargeable electric mower. Then you must place a vertical barrier around the entire lawn.. The tricky part is to build a steering and guidance system so that when the mower bumps the barrier it will change direction. A simple one would operate like a Roomba vacuum and keep moving randomly until the lawn was mowed. The idea for the programmed, run it through once by hand, then let it operate automatically removes the need for a barrier. Instead you would need a flat edging to get all the way to the edge of the grass. The controls could be taken from an obsolete tape-controlled vertical milling machine. If you are handy with machines and tools this would be fun to try, however it may cost as much or more to build your own as to buy one, unless you are lucky at salvaging from junkyards.

Another guidance method might be a buried "invisible fence" as used for dogs. A signal in the buried wire would be followed by a receptor which would signal the wheels to steer. The steering for any type could be hydraulic, powered by a small electric motor, actuated by the type of controls used in model boats.

some of the challenges you need to overcome:

1. lawns usually don't have walls around them. So it's hard to build lawn-mower robot that knows where the lawn boundary is. Maybe, you can set the robot to mow in a circle? a square.

Or your lawn robot will mow not only your lawn but also your neighbor's.

Maybe you can devise an electronics circuit that allows the robot to mow in 1/4 of a circle, 1/2 a cirlce and a full circle?

it won't be cheap, making that sort of frankin-mower you will need a system for steering (either hydraulics or a motor would work for this). Once the handling of the frankin-mower is established you will then need a motor to control the rear wheels which will provide power. but as for the reciever etc. you can remove them from a remote control car (or something to that effect). I am not sure where the motors are available though. so yeah, it is a great idea in theory but the cost will be pretty high. hope this helped

Well it's the time of year to think about stupid questions such as this...My friend and I were just discussing it last week....I thought of pop up sprinkler heads with weed whackers that would start spinning and releasing the cords and then retract after they were done cutting....And then decided that.. pop up lasers would be faster... little mirrors popping up and a spinning beam of light,, a quick flash and presto your yards cut in 3 seconds....Never mind the legs being cut off the neighbours cat !!! hey ...keep thinking..... someday we will talk about the days we used to spend out in the yard walking behind a mower and the grandchildren will look at us like we are crazy..

Years ago, they ivented a toy vehicle, which, when programmed would follow the route it was given. In this day and age, why can't we have a lawnmower with a program button - simply mow the lawn in program mode, set SAVE, then next time put in starting position, click GO, go for a brew and your lawn is done! Seems easy to me!!!!

I am so jaded. Or lazy. What I pictured in my mind when I first read your question was a stake in the middle of your lawn with a long length of clothesline on it and your lawnmower at the far side of your lawn, and the line tied to its side, and you set the lawnmower to run forward, start it up, and it just keeps going around and around. winding itself slowly around the stake, until it reaches the stake, at which point the tension of the line shuts the mower off!

you should get a big thick stick,tie a rope to it and stick it in the middle of your garden then tie the other end to your lawnmower and then turn it on it will go around the rope and cut your grass while it goes around lol

would you like it to go shopping and to to clean the dishes too?

I've already got one.... when she's not busy, she makes the tea. lol